Ubisoft’s Lawsuit on The Crew: We Don’t Own the Games We Buy

Ubisoft’s Case Against The Crew: We Don’t Own What We Buy

French game publisher Ubisoft's recent defense in a lawsuit over the video game The Crew has ignited a controversial debate among gamers about ownership of games. The suit stems from Ubisoft's assertion that purchasing The Crew does not give the gamer full ownership of the game but rather a "limited licence" to play the game.

The Shutdown of The Crew Servers

Ubisoft took the move in March 2024 to shut down the servers for the 2014 racing title The Crew. This made the original game inaccessible, both for those who had a physically purchased copy and those with the digital copy. There were a lot of upset fans, as they felt that they had purchased lifetime access. Ubisoft claimed that they had made it reasonably clear at the time of purchase that they were not selling permanent access but a licence to access the game which could be removed under certain conditions.

The Lawsuit: What Are the Claims?

It came to light when two players sued Ubisoft, claiming that they had bought The Crew thinking that they were buying a perpetual ownership product, not a licensed product that could be taken away. The plaintiffs alleged that Ubisoft had engaged in false advertising under California law and had engaged in unfair competition, among other things.

Ubisoft legal representatives countered by assuring that the company had not broken any rules, pointing out explicit disclaimers on boxed copies of the games. The Xbox and PlayStation box of The Crew had on the front of the box a message that read that Ubisoft had the right to end online features with 30-day advance notice.

Ubisoft’s Response and Actions Taken

The Crew 2 and The Crew: Motorfest were released by Ubisoft with offline versions of the game so that fans could continue playing the series, but not the original The Crew. Ubisoft feels that the players understood what they were doing when they entered into it and that they had always agreed that the online aspects of the game could be changed.

Ubisoft has moved for dismissal of the lawsuit, but in the event that the lawsuit does go forward, the plaintiffs are requesting a trial by jury.

The Bigger Picture: Implications for Game Ownership

This situation has deep implications for video game ownership. As more games lean further toward online reliance and subscription models, consumers may be forced to rethink what they believe owning a title means. For Ubisoft, the situation may set a precedent for how such cases are handled going forward.